How to write a good prompt (a practical guide)

The formula

A solid prompt has four parts:

1. Role: tell it what it is. "Act as a sales closer for an agency."
2. Context: give it the facts. Niche, offer, audience, whatever you know.
3. Task + format: what you want and how. "Give me 3 variants in a table."
4. Constraints: tone, language, what NOT to do. "In English, no jargon, don't make up prices."

Tricks that raise quality

• Ask for steps, not one answer all at once, on complex tasks.
• Give an example of the result you want (one or two).
• Use brackets for what varies: [CLIENT NAME].
• Iterate: the first output is a draft; ask for specific changes.

Common mistake

Asking for something vague ("write me an email") and expecting gold. The more context and format you give, the better it comes out. A long, clear prompt beats a short, ambiguous one.